Photo Credit: JE Dunn

Legislative Update - April 2021

Hello Legislator ,

Wishing you a happy end to the month of April! Thank you for your public service to the State of Kansas and your district. Please let us know if we can help you in any way or answer any of your questions during session or following the final gavel of 2021. We greatly appreciate your time and review of KVC's April 2021 Kansas Legislative Update.

2021 Priority Legislation Updates

Thank You for Passing House Bill 2208

KVC would like to thank members of both chambers for passing HB 2208 (and its equivalent in the Senate), which adds critical flexibility to supervision and licensing standards from the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB). BSRB licenses professionals in psychology, social work, addiction counseling and marriage and family therapy.

By allowing online supervision, you’ve helped ensure there are enough social workers and therapists to work in child welfare, helping our state’s most vulnerable children and families. This bill was signed into law on April 22nd.

Please Support House Bill 2158

When you return in May, we ask for your support of HB 2158, which addresses the topic of teens or adults with prohibited offenses living in the homes of licensed foster families. KVC foster parents testified in support because the status quo has caused unintentional trauma to children who have already been removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Rep. Susan Concannon (R-Beloit) has shared that the report is already signed by all the conferees and ready to move forward when the legislature returns on May 3rd.

Please support this bill, which will make an immediate and positive impact on children currently in foster care and others who will come in the future.

Performance Matters: How KVC Kansas is Doing on Federal Foster Care Standards

Child welfare systems, which include foster care services, are designed to ensure children are safe from abuse and neglect, grow up in a permanent family and experience well-being.

Since safety, permanency and well-being are the three primary goals of any child welfare system, we want to share how we're performing on these federal performance standards.

In this article, you will learn more about what these federal standards are, where we’re exceeding goals and where we are focusing our attention in order to strengthen results.

Legislator Spotlight - Rep. Cindy Neighbor

Photo Credit:Shawnee Mission Post

This month’s legislator spotlight will shine a light on the work of Representative Cindy Neighbor (D-Shawnee), who represents District 18 in the Kansas House.

Rep. Neighbor has served the State of Kansas in the House of Representatives from 2003-04, 2007-2011, and now from 2017 through the present. She serves on the Children & Seniors Committee, Elections Committee, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee and Select Investigating Committee. In 2021, she sponsored legislation to establish the office of the child advocate for children's protection and services. Rep. Neighbor is a strong proponent of mental health services, additional funding for community mental health programs and doing everything she can do to reduce suicide rates in Kansas. She served as the former Vice-Char of the Board of Directors of the Johnson County Mental Health Board.

Rep. Neighbor has lived in Shawnee, KS for over 45 years. She spent most of her career as a medical administrator with a multi-specialty group serving Wyandotte and Johnson County. Additionally, she worked for Discover Dental and for many years in Shawnee Mission schools. She is a former Board Member of the Shawnee Mission School District, former President of the Kansas Association of School Boards and past Board Member of Kansas Board of Indigent Defense Services. Rep. Neighbor has been active in numerous other committee groups and charitable organizations during her professional career including the Ronald McDonald House and United Community Services working on prevention of child abuse issues.

Rep. Neighbor has been married to her husband Jim, a retired airline pilot, for over 50 years. They have four grown children and four grandchildren.

 
Thank you to Rep. Neighbor for her strong support and leadership over many years for Kansas' children and families and for the work she does each and every day for his constituents in Shawnee and the State of Kansas.
 
For more information on Rep. Neighbor click here.

Photo Credit: Shawnee Mission Post

May is National Foster Care Month

KVC Kansas Foster Parent Conference on May 1st

May is National Foster Care Month and KVC is dedicated to raising awareness for the more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system in the United States!

In Kansas, there are more than 6,896 children in foster care.

During the month, there are plenty of ways you or your constituents can get involved and make a difference in the lives of children and families in need.

Four ways to help children and families during National Foster Care Month:

1. Volunteer. Volunteering at your local child welfare organization provides a huge help to social workers, children and families. Volunteers play an integral role in foster care by providing temporary care for children, organizing fun events for children and much more. Check out upcoming volunteer opportunities or let us know how you or anyone in your district would like to volunteer!

2. Donate. Joining a soccer team, taking piano lessons, or purchasing a scout uniform may not be a possibility for some children in foster care. Donations make these things possible, and most organizations will accept several types of donations. This includes toys, clothes, school supplies – you name it. Visit our donate page to learn more.

3. Become a Foster Parent. Across the country, there is a growing need for people to become foster parents. Fostering provides a child who has experienced abuse or neglect with a stable, loving environment. It also gives you an opportunity to grow emotionally, spiritually and mentally as you teach life skills to a child and work towards reunification with the birth family.

Click here to learn more about fostering!

4. Spread the Word. Another great way to show your support during National Foster Care Month is to get social! You or your constituents can help by:

• Sharing foster care articles on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. We have several you can share here. Use the hashtag #fostercaremonth and you’re all set!
• Referring someone who is interested in being a foster parent. Refer them to this page.
  

• Getting involved in upcoming events.

If anyone you know is interested in fostering, adopting or helping Kansas children please share with them how to attend a Virtual Info Night to learn how!

We’re excited to announce this year’s Resource Family Conference

will be held virtually on May 1st

This is a wonderful, free training opportunity for Resource Families (which includes relatives and foster families) to learn a range of new topics, such as helping youth feel safe and connected, promoting healthy brain development and resilience, and partnering with other members of a child’s support team.

Click here to learn more about this year's event.

If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to talk with you.

Please contact: 
- Dr. Linda Bass, President of KVC Kansas - lbbass@kvc.org or (913) 499-8100
- Bobby Eklofe, President of KVC Hospitals - beklofe@kvc.org or (913) 890-4701

Learn more at kvckansas.org or kvchospitals.org.

2021 Legislative Priorities / Past Legislative Updates

• KVC’s 2021 Legislative Priorities in Kansas

• Past Kansas Legislative Updates and Legislator Spotlights

Visit the KVC Health Systems Blog
Visit the KVC Kansas Blog
Visit the KVC Hospitals Blog